


Learning to Love you Ruby

by Meganrrothstein



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 19,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29669130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meganrrothstein/pseuds/Meganrrothstein
Summary: When she first met her, Weiss hated Ruby Rose with a passion. During her 4 years at Beacon, that changed.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Coco Adel/Velvet Scarlatina, Jaune Arc/Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren/Nora Valkyrie, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 21
Kudos: 77





	1. Enemies to Friends

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a 4 chapter fic so hopefully I'll be able to update 1 chapter each day

Weiss glared down at the girl in black who had knocked over all her stuff. "What are you doing?" she asked the girl. 

"Sorry," she basically whimpered to her.

"Sorry? Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused?" The girl sat up, passing her one of her suitcases that had fallen. "Give me that." Grabbing a vial of Dust from her suitcase she waved it in front of the girls face. "This is Dust. Mined and purified from the Schnee quarry." The girl looked up at her, scratching the back of her head. "What are you braindead," she asked. "Dust. Fire. Water. Lightning. Energy." The girl started sniffling as Weiss continued her scolding. "Are you even listening to me? Is any of this sinking in? What do you have to say for yourself?"

The girl looked up at her before sneezing. An explosion went off, sending the vial she was holding across the open courtyard where it landed at the foot of a girl. She grabbed it, examining the vial before watching the scene before her. 

"Unbelievable. This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about." Weiss wasn't going to stop yelling at her until she got her point through. 

"I'm really, really sorry," the girl stuttered out, bouncing her two pointer fingers off one another. 

"Uh, you complete Dolt! What are you even doing here?" She asked the girl. "Aren't you a little young to be attending Beacon?" She leaned down so she could be face to face with the young girl.

"Well. I,I-" She tried explaining herself but Weiss cut her off.

"This isn't your ordinary combat school. It's not just sparring and practice you know? We're here to fight monsters, so watch where you're going!" Weiss expected the conversation to be over.

"Hey, I said I was sorry, Princess." The girl was glaring at her. That's when Weiss noticed her silver eyes. 

A calm voice interrupted her train of thoughts. "Heiress, actually," it said. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss was proud for a moment. "Finally, some recognition," she said, turning to glare at the girl with silver eyes.

"The same company," the mysterious girl with amber eyes continued. "Infamous for it's controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Immediately offended, Weiss stuttered out," Wh-what? How dare you?" The younger girl giggled as Weiss continued on, "The nerve of you." Walked up to the girl, she took her vial of Dust from her hand and walked away, leaving her butlers to clean up the mess the girl had made.

As Weiss walked to the school she heard her call out, "I promise I'll make this up to you." Weiss scoffed to herself, hoping that she'd never have to run into that girl again.

Weiss stood among the crowd of people who waited to hear the headmaster' speech. As she made her way closer to the front of the room she saw the girl who had knocked into her luggage before talking to a busty blonde. As she got closer she began to hear their conversation. The blonde leaned down and asked the girl, "Are you being sarcastic?" 

The girl who had had her hand on her chin, stroking it turned to her, "Ugh I wish." She said. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage and then she yelled at me and then I sneezed and then I exploded and then she yelled again and I felt really really bad and I Just wanted her to stop yelling at me." 

Weiss snuck up behind the girl and screamed, "You!"

The young girl jumped into the blonde's arms, crying out, "Oh god it's happening again!"

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff," Weiss scolded her.

The blonde muttered, nearly to herself, "Oh my god you really exploded."

"It was an accident," the young girl defended, dropping out of the blonde's arms. Weiss had the urge to scoff. The girl claimed again, "It was an accident." Rolling her eyes, Weiss shoved a pamphlet into her face. "What's this?" the girl asked, confused.

"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained when operating Schnee Dust Company products. Although not mandatory, the Schnee family highly encourages our customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide of best applications and practice in the field." Weiss knew her voice sounded robotic, but she had given this same speech so many times she knew it from memory.

The young girl looked between her and the guide saying, "Ummmm."

She asked her, "Do you want to start making things up to me?"

The girl whimpered as she said, "Absolutely?"

Shoving it in her face, Weiss told her, "Read this and don't ever speak to me again."

Before she could walk away the blonde started talking. "Look, sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?" 

The young girl smiled at her suggestion, turning to Weiss and saying, "Yeah, great idea sis." She cleared her throat and stuck her hand out. "Hello Weiss. I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

Sarcastically Weiss said, "Yeah, and we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cutes boys, like tall, blonde and scraggily over there." 

The girl, Ruby, didn't seem to understand her sarcasm because she got excited and asked, "Wow, really?"

Weiss took a moment to glare at her even harder before saying, "No." Ruby visibly deflated, but Weiss said nothing, instead turning her back to her to listen to the Headmasters speech. 

Weiss had just been getting ready for sleep when she heard a ruckus. She looked over to see two girls fighting in front of the girl with amber eyes from earlier. Rushing up to them she asked, "What in the world is going on over here?" The sister had stopped their fighting, Yang's foot held in Ruby's hands, and all eyes turned to her. "Don't you realize some of us are trying to sleep?" she scolded. 

Upon realizing it was Ruby and Yang and the both of them realizing it was her, she and Yang yelled, "Oh no not you again!"

They were both quickly shushed by Ruby who said, "Guys, she's right. People are trying to sleep."

Angry she didn't get Weiss's point from before she said, "Oh, now you're on my side."

Ruby threw her hands up as she said, "I was always on your side!"

"Yeah! What's your problem with my sister?" Yang defended. "She's only trying to be nice!"

"She's a hazard to my health," Weiss exclaimed, stomping her foot. The girl with amber eyes blowing out her candle ended the confrontation. Weiss muttered to herself as she went back to her sleeping bag, hoping tomorrow she wouldn't have to deal with the Dolt and her bimbo of a sister again. 

After being thrown off Beacon cliff into Emerald forest Weiss searched for Pyrrha. She was searching for her when she heard something running towards her at a rapid pace. She turned as whatever was coming towards her slowed down. It was Ruby. Their eyes met and Weiss narrowed her brows at her while Ruby smiled up at her. Not even wanting to waste her time talking to the Dolt, Weiss turned and walked away.

Behind her Ruby called out, "Wait! Where are you going?" She didn't hear the girl sigh and kick the ground with her shoes saying, "We were supposed to be teammates."

Weiss walked through some bushes before making it out of them. She heard heavy breathing and turned to look up at the tree in front of her. The Jaune boy who had been flirting with her earlier was stuck to the tree by Pyrrha's weapon. He waved at her meekly before Weiss turned her back on him. As much as she hated Ruby she was better than Jaune. 

Walking back to where she left her, she grabbed Ruby's hood and started dragging her away, saying, "By no means does this make us friends."

Ruby just cheered, "You came back," waving her hands in the air happily. Weiss continued to drag her for a few minutes until her arm became tired. Without talking to her, Weiss walked off. If Ruby wanted to follow her, she could. "What's the hurry?" Ruby asked her.

Explaining to her, Weiss said, "I will not let my mission be delayed because you're too slow. I swear if I get a bad grade because of you're-" Weiss was cut off as Ruby suddenly rushed in front of her. "What the?" she said confused. 

Ruby pointed to herself with her thumb. "I'm not slow see," she said, "You don't have to worry about me."

Not willing to let it go Weiss started to ask, "When did-" before Ruby cut her off.

"Weiss," she said, "Just because I don't exactly know how to deal with people, doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with monsters." Ruby wrapped her arm around Weiss's shoulder as she announced, "You're about to see a whole new side of me today, Weiss. And after it's all over, you're gonna be like, 'wow that Ruby girl is really, really cool. And I wanna be her friend'." Weiss rolled her eyes as Ruby motioned to the nothing in front of them. 

Weiss leaned away from Ruby as she clung onto her. When Ruby zipped away from her, Weiss swatted at the rose petals she left behind. Still angry at her but not knowing where she was, Weiss called out, "You may be fast, but you still excel at wasting time." She stood in the quiet woods for a while staring at the surrounding foliage. She kept expecting Ruby to come back to her, but after a few moments of silence Weiss knew she was alone. Scarred, she called out, "Ruby?" She heard the brushes in front of her start to move and called for a second time, "Ruby?"

After a moment passed, Weiss felt eyes on her from behind. Turning around she noticed red glowing eyes all around her. When she finally looked behind her she saw a Beowolf coming her way. Scared and desperate for help Weiss called out one more time, "Ruby!" Seeing the younger girl wouldn't come to help, Weiss grabbed Myrtenaster and got into her battle stance. She talked to herself, saying in her mind, 'Remember your training Weiss. Head up. Shoulders back. Right foot forward.' As her body moved into position she corrected herself, 'Not that forward,' and dragged it back. She narrowed her eyes at the beast. 'Slow your breathing. Wait for the right time to strike. And... Now.'

Charging forward, Weiss turned her weapon so it would be using fire Dust. Just as she was about to come close to the Grimm, Ruby suddenly appeared between the two. She chopped at its arm saying, "Gottcha!" Her unexpected appearance caused Weiss to lose balance and trip over her own foot. To prevent herself from falling she used Myrtenaster to swipe at the air in front of her which sent a line of fire to hit a tree.

Her distraction caused Ruby to lose focus and get knocked back into Weiss when the Beowolf swatted at her. Ruby fell to her knee's saying, "Hey watch it." 

As she started to get up, Weiss said, "Excuse me. You attacked out of turn. I could have killed you." She tried to get her explanation through the girls skull until the Beowolf growled at them.

She shook her head as Ruby muttered, "You'd have to try a lot harder than that." They went back to back as they examined the Beowolf pack surrounding them. Ruby reloaded her monstrous sized weapon, but before she could shoot anything, the tree Weiss's fire hit fell in front of them

Sensing an opportunity, Weiss grabbed Ruby's arm and started to pull her away. "We have to go," she said. The Beowolves behind them howled in pain as the fire spread over them.

Once they were far away from the now burning fire, Weiss took a moment to catch her breath. Ruby yelling, "What was that?" interrupted her moment. "That should have been easy."

Aggravated, Weiss turned to her saying, "Well perhaps if you had exercised even the slightest amount of caution with the placement of your strikes I wouldn't have set the forest on fire."

Ruby made a psht-ing sound before she spoke up and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Weiss pulled the hand she had been using to rub her temples away from her face to tell her, "I'm just surprised that someone who can talk so much would communicate so little during an encounter."

"Well I'm sorry that you need my help to win a fight. I'm just fine on my own."

"Well, congratulations on being the strongest child to sneak your way into Beacon. Bravo," Weiss exclaimed, as she threw her hands up in the air for exasperation. As she walked away in the woods again, Weiss heard Ruby make a type of noise that involved being angry and frustrated. She heard a massive sounding tree fall behind her, but didn't turn to look in order to avoid giving Ruby's temper tantrum validation.

Weiss paced to the right before pacing to the left saying, "It's definitely this way. I mean, this way. It's definitely this way." She stopped in front of Ruby to let her know, "Alright, it's official. We've passed it."

Ruby who had previously been playing with a leaf asked her, "Why can't you just admit that you have no idea where we're going?"

Weiss explained, "Because I know exactly where we're going. We're going to the Forest temple." Ruby groaned at her and Weiss yelled, "Oh stop it. You don't know where we are either."

Ruby turned to face her and said, "Well at least I'm not pretending like I know everything."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked her.

"It means you're a big, stupid, jerk and I hate you!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing her finger at Weiss.

Weiss groaned and hoped to end the conversation by saying, "Just keep moving," and walking away, but Ruby wasn't done complaining.

"Oh just keep moving," she mimicked, "Hurry up. Waa watch where you're going. Why are you so bossy?"

Angered, Weiss turned to look at Ruby. "I'm not bossy. Don't say things like that," Weiss knew she was letting her anger get the best of her in almost every conversation she had with Ruby, but she couldn't help it. This girl was a nightmare.

"Stop treating me like a kid."

"Stop acting like a kid."

"Well stop acting like you're perfect!"

Weiss yelled right into Ruby's face. "I'm not perfect." Backing away from her she added, "Not yet." Backing away from Ruby she told her, "But I'm still leagues better than you."

As she walked into the woods, Weiss ignored Ruby's sad sounding voice as she said, "You don't even know me."

Weiss clutched onto the Nevermore with all her strength, afraid to fall and end up dead. She didn't know why she let Ruby talk her into this. "Ruby," she scolded. "I told you this was a terrible idea."

"We're fine. Stop worrying," She called out to her. 

"I am SO far beyond worrying!" She exclaimed.

"In a good way?" Ruby asked her.

"In a bad way. In a very very bad way."

"Well why don't we just jump?" Ruby suggested to her.

"What are you? Insane?" She asked Ruby. When she got no reply she looked over to see Ruby was missing. "Oh you insufferable little rat!" She screamed. Trying to reposition herself better, Weiss accidently slipped from her spot on the Nevermore's back. She desperately grasped at anything her hand could touch until she grabbed onto the monster's talon with one hand. Seeing Ruby on the ground with her sister, she yelled at her asking, "How could you leave me?" 

From the ground Ruby told her, "I said jump." Talking to Ruby distracted her and her already tired grip gave out. Falling, her landing was softened by Jaune who had jumped into the air in order to catch her. She merely ignored him and walked away.

Weiss watched as Ruby stared up at the Death Stalkers stinger. Not allowing her partner to get hurt she rushed up to protect Ruby. As she froze it's tail in place she began to yell at Ruby again. "You are so childish," she told her.

Ruby meekly said her name, "Weiss?"

"And dimwitted. And hyperactive. And don't even get me started on your fighting style." Feeling bad as she looked at the young girl she admitted, "And I suppose I can be a bit... difficult, but if we're going to do this. We're going to have to do this together. So if you quit trying to show off, I'll be," Weiss considered her choice of words, "Nicer." she decided on.

"I'm not trying to show off," Ruby told her, "I want you to know I can do this." The emotion in her voice stirred something inside Weiss, but she didn't pay it any mind.

"You're fine," Weiss told her, walking off and forgetting about the feeling she had deep in her chest. 

After fighting the Nevermore with Ruby, Yang, and Blake, Weiss gained a new sense of respect for her partner. As childish as she knew Ruby was, she came up with a crazy idea that actually worked for once. Staring at Ruby as she stood at the top of the cliff, Weiss watched the rose petals around her float away in the wind. There was something about looking at Ruby in this way that made her heart beat a bit faster, but she chalked it up to the fight they had just had. 

"Well that was a thing," Yang said, ruining the moment. Rolling her eyes at the blonde, the feeling she had disappeared, but she didn't notice.

It was the morning after they had been given their teams by Ozpin and Weiss was not pleased with Ruby. First after she had just woken up, Ruby blew a whistle in her face while yelling at the top of her lungs, "Good morning team RWBY!" When Weiss was too slow to get a move on and start organizing the room with everyone else, Ruby blew the whistle at her a second time, scaring Weiss and causing her to fall over. "Alright," Ruby had called out. "Weiss, Blake, Yang and their fearless leader Ruby have begun their first mission. Bonsai!" 

Blake and Yang rushed to either side of her and declared, "Bonsai!" Weiss sighed as she watched them from her spot on the floor. They spent around an hour moving into their room, adding decorations and unloading school supplies. When it came time to move the beds into their position Weiss didn't agree with Ruby's idea for bunk beds, but as she was outvoted she went with it and didn't cause a fuss.

Ruby had gone on after they completed that task, telling them the classes they had that day. When she mentioned the first class was at 9:00, Weiss got immediately angry and yelled, "What? It's 8:55 you Dunce," before running out of the room in hopes of making it to class in time. They managed to make it to class in the knick of time, followed closely by team JNPR.

They say together as a team listening to Professor Port drawl on and on about something even Weiss didn't care to listen to. She heard Ruby next to her writing something, her pencil moving a mile a minute. Curious that Ruby could actually pay attention in class Weiss turned to her to see she was only drawing something, rather than retaining information from the class. Scowling, Weiss looked away from her nonsense to focus on the professor. Yang chucked behind her hand when Ruby showed her drawing to her, aggravating Weiss even more. 

Listening to Professor Port's speech about what it takes to be a huntress, Weiss became more and more frustrated and aggravated with Ruby. She didn't understand how Ozpin chose her to be team leader when Weiss was clearly the superior option. With all that building up Weiss jumped at the opportunity to prove herself. During her fight with the Boarbatusks Weiss couldn't help but get more and more unfocused as Ruby would cheer her on or try and give her advice. "Weiss! Go for its belly. There's no armor underneath."

Angry that Ruby thought she could tell her something she yelled at her, "Stop telling me what to do." She ignored the sad look on Ruby's face and focused on the fight. When the Boarbatusks attacked her again, she lodged Myrtenaster into its stomach, although she wasn't going to give Ruby credit for pointing out the lack of armor, Weiss felt bad as she thought back to what she told Ruby. Nonetheless she glared at Ruby before she walked out of class.

"Weiss," she heard as she walked through the halls. 

Turning to Ruby she asked, "What?"

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-"

Weiss cut her off, "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you? You're supposed to be a leader and all you've been so far is a nuisance."

Ruby scoffed, asking her, "What did I do?"

"That's just it," Weiss explained. "You've done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so."

"Weiss where is this coming from?" Ruby asked in a softer voice. She was confused. "What happened to all the talk about working together. I thought you believed in acting as a team." 

"Not a team led by you," Weiss clarified. "I've studied. And trained. And quite frankly I deserve better. Ozpin made a mistake." If she had known Ruby had reached out to her and was going to try and console her maybe she wouldn't have walked away. 

Weiss had taken some time away from the rest of the team after talking to Professor Port. Walking back to their shared dorm, Weiss decided she would talk to Ruby to clear things up. As she got in the room she noticed a light on in Ruby's bunk. Expecting her to have been playing a video game or something, Weiss was surprised and almost touched that Ruby had made the effort to study instead. Gently shaking Ruby awake, Weiss gave her a moment to wake up. 

When she saw her face Ruby cried out, "Weiss! I-I was studying and then I fell asleep. I'm sorry." Weiss just placed her hand over Ruby's mouth, effectively shushing her. 

She noticed Ruby's empty coffee mug and asked, "How do you take your coffee?"

She took her hand away and Ruby said, "I-I don't-"

Weiss cut her off. "Answer the question."

"Uhhh, cream and five sugars," Ruby told her. 

Weiss internally cringed, but nonetheless said, "Don't move." She took a moment to get Ruby a coffee, giving it to her, saying, "Here."

Ruby looked at her with a small, unsure smile. "Um, thanks Weiss." 

Taking a moment to prepare herself, Weiss took a deep breath. "Ruby," she said. "I think you have what it takes to be a good leader. Just know that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have." Smiling at the girl she said, "Good luck studying." Glancing at the notes Ruby had been taking, she told her, "That's wrong by the way." Weiss began to walk out of the room but she thought to herself for a moment and said, "Hey Ruby."

Ruby stared down at her and asked, "Uh huh?" 

Weiss admitted to her, "I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." She smiled at Ruby kindly and walked out of the room.

The Vytal Festival Tournament had ended and Weiss had helped team CFVY with overseeing the Vytal Tournament Festival Ball. It was the end of the school year and the ball was ending that night. 

Weiss had walked to one of the balconies where she looked at the Beacon courtyard. The next morning Winter would be taking her back to Atlas for the summer and she'd be separated from her new friends. Yang was annoying there was no question about it, but she treated Weiss like another little sister she could make fun of. Blake was one of the only other respectable people at the school, and while they had fought about Faunus and the White Fang in the past they both know they can always rely on each other. And Ruby...

Weiss had grown closer to Ruby. While she didn't always agree with the decisions she made and scolded her at least once a day for being a Dunce but they were definitely on the right track to being friends. While she still denied Ruby calling her her "BFF", she was Weiss's first real friend. Weiss felt her chest tingle and wrapped her arms around herself. 

"Are you cold?" a voice asked behind her. 

Weiss turned to see Ruby standing behind her. "No, just thinking." 

"Whatcha thinking about?" Ruby asked her, awkwardly stepping closer to Weiss.

Sighing, Weiss told her, "Tomorrow I'm heading back to Atlas for the summer. I was thinking about how I'm going to miss this place.... And the people." She added reluctantly. Ruby raised her eyebrows as she said that. "Some, of the people." Ruby pouted for a second before smiling brightly.

Latching onto Weiss's arm she said, "Well in a few months it'll be the start of our second year and we'll get to spend even more time together. As a team." 

Weiss smiled down at Ruby, letting her childlike antics be for once. "As a team," she echoed, looking up at the moon. The tingle in her chest remained, ignited by the feeling of Ruby on her arm. She paid no mind to it.


	2. Friends to Something Else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During her second year at Beacon, Weiss begins to notice things she hadn't before.

Weiss glared up at the girl who had tackled her to the ground with a hug. "What are you doing?" she asked Ruby? 

"Sorry, I just missed you," she said, staring at her with her silver puppy dog eyes. Weiss rolled her eyes as Ruby got off of her. Taking the hand she offered, Weiss let Ruby hoist her up. When she was finally on her feet again she noticed something different. She no longer needed to look down at Ruby to meet her eyes, the younger girl standing the same height as her.

"Be more careful next time," she scolded her.

Yang stood to the side watching the exchange with a smile on her face. Blake had walked up behind her, and leaned against her to let her know quietly that she was there. Yang smiled at her, pulling her into a side hug she begrudgingly accepted. "Looks like the gang's all here," she announced to everyone. 

Weiss looked up and saw all her friends around her again after so long. After spending the summer alone in Schnee Manor with no one around but Whitley, she was happy to be back at Beacon. Smiling, she looked at Ruby to see her grinning like an idiot. A warmth shot through Weiss's chest as she flicked Ruby's head to let the girl know to drop her arm. "Dolt," she called her, though there was no malice in her voice. 

Letting Ruby drag her into the school, Weiss looked back at Yang and Blake who seemed a lot closer than she remembered them. She didn't get to say anything as Ruby dragged her into the school to show her their new rooms and go over classes for this year. Weiss smiled as she first saw their new room. As second years they get a bit more space, but not much. Ruby and Yang had taken the initiative to set up the bunk beds from last year. 

Besides her desk that she had sent to Vale ahead of time, Weiss had packed lightly this year, fitting everything she brought in one suitcase. She laid it on her bed and started to unpack. As she worked, Weiss was keenly aware of Ruby watching her every move. When she finally put her suitcase under her bed, she looked up at Ruby who had been lying on her top bunk. Her upper torso hung dangerously off the side of the bed so she could survey everything in the room.

"Why are you staring at me?" she asked her.

"I missed you! I forgot how elegantly you did everything. It's like you're dancing through everything," Ruby smiled down at her and Weiss felt that tingle in her chest return. She felt herself blush and turned her back to her. 

"You Dunce," she half heartedly said. "Don't fall," she told her as she went to the bathroom to put her things away. She smiled softly, rolling her eyes as she heard a thump and groan come from the main room.

Weiss was in the cafeteria having her breakfast in peace until two lunch trays got slammed on the table. Weiss glared at Ruby and Nora but they were in such a heated discussion they didn't notice. "Plain pancakes are the best and that's the truth. Put some butter and syrup on there and BOOM! Best meal ever," Nora stated as she took a seat next to Ren. She crossed her arms and hmphed to make her point. 

Ruby didn't give up so easily. "No pancakes with strawberries on top and then syrup is the best. You get the fluffy texture with the sweetness of the strawberry and it's heaven in your mouth." Ruby, much less graciously, took her seat next to Weiss, effectively body slamming her into Blake who had been sitting next to her.

Weiss rolled her eyes at the back and forth banter of the two, deciding not to waste her energy glaring at the two and turned to the other half of the table. Jaune was sleepily looking over his class schedule as Pyrrha stared at him adoringly. Weiss then looked at Blake who had been making eye contact with Yang while blushing. Raising her eyebrows in confusion, she noticed how close together the two were and how it seemed like they were holding hands under the table. Before she could make out what was going on, Ruby pulled on her arm, bringing her face mere centimeters from her own. 

"Weiss!" she yelled in her face.

Wincing, Weiss pulled back until Ruby loosened her grip. Angrily, she asked, "What Ruby?"

"Which do you like better? Pancakes with strawberries or regular, plain, boring, bland pancakes?" 

"Hey!" Nora said, offended. Weiss could only focus on the puppy dog eyes Ruby was using on her. 

Gulping, she tugged at her uniforms collar. She looked away from the both of them as she said, "Pancakes with strawberries sound nice." 

Ruby cheered and Nora who was unwilling to admit defeat turned to Ren and asked, "What about you Ren? Fluffy, melts in your mouth, delicious, plain pancakes or pancakes with bitter strawberries on top." She made a gagging impression which caused Ruby to narrow her eyes at her. The puppy dog eyes Nora tried to replicate didn't look nearly as convincing as Ruby's did, but that didn't seem to affect Ren anyway.

"I actually prefer my pancakes with chocolate chips in them," Ren said calmly. Ruby cheered victoriously, sticking her tongue out at Nora who just mocked her. Weiss smiled at how happy Ruby looked and felt the tingle in her chest. 

She forgot about it quickly as Yang said, "I like my pancakes with bananas on the side." 

"I like mine with blueberries," Blake said, glancing at the two energetic girls. 

Pyrrha joined in the conversation saying, "I prefer to have plain pancakes with strawberries on the side." The group looked at Jaune and he said, "My mom always made us pancakes with powdered sugar on top with banana eyes and a bacon mouth that we got to pull apart." The second he was done talking Pyrrha jumped at the opportunity to ask him about his family. Weiss rolled her eyes at Pyrrha but said nothing. 

She turned to look back at Ruby to see her stealing a strawberry off her tray. She looked sheepish at getting caught, but quickly stuffed it in her mouth before Weiss could take it back. Shaking her head, she told her, "You can have the rest of mine you Dunce."

Ruby's eyes shined brightly. "Thanks Weiss! You're the best." Ruby gave her arm a quick hug before taking the strawberries she had left on her tray. Weiss blushed lightly for some reason and looked down at the tray to avoid having to stare at how happily Ruby was eating. Taking a bite of her toast, Weiss ignored the tingle in her chest.

It had been about a month since the new school year had started. Weiss was currently at her desk studying for their upcoming test in Goodwitch's class. She had taken out her notes from class and was reviewing all the sections she couldn't come up to an answer with immediately when Ruby walked through the door. She had her text books in her hand and was slumped over, dragging her feet as she walked.

She dumped her books on the floor with no care, making Weiss wince. She continued on her journey across the room until she made it to Weiss's bed where she collapsed, not even bothering to remove her shoes. "Ruby!" Weiss began to scold. "Get your dirty shoes off my bed."

"What is a bed Weiss? How do you know it's a bed? How do you know it's not something else you thought you knew, like coffee. How do you know this bed isn't coffee in disguise?" Ruby looked completely drained and exhausted.

Walking over to where Ruby was lying, Weiss stood over her. "Because coffee doesn't come in the shape of a bed, you Dolt." Grabbing Ruby's arms, Weiss tugged on them to get her to sit up. Ruby refused to cooperate and didn't help her in any way. 

"But what if the coffee was trying to trick you? What if it wanted you to think it was a bed just to confuse you when you found out it was coffee?" Rolling her eyes, Weiss didn't even bother to reply to Ruby's nonsense. She yanked on her arms with much more force causing Ruby to shoot up and hit her forehead on the top bed. 

Wincing, Weiss said, "Sorry." She dragged Ruby's feet off her bed and took a seat next to her. Looking at her as she rubbed her hand over where she got hit, Wiess said, "I take it studying isn't going well for you." Ruby shook her head, whimpering as she threw herself at Weiss and hid her face in her neck. 

"Nooooo," she said into her. "Every time I think I know something I'm wrong and what I think I know isn't what I actually know and it's so hard. I don't know how you do it Wiess." 

Rolling her eyes, Weiss rubbed Ruby's back with one hand, the other pulling on Ruby's arm so she wouldn't suffocate her with how tight she was holding onto her neck. "Firstly, I pay attention in class when the teacher is talking. Secondly, I take notes of important information. Not to mention," Weiss trailed off as Ruby looked up at her with shining silver eyes. Looking away from her as a wave of warmth spread through her body, Weiss said, "Not to mention I have more effective study habits than you." Glancing back at Ruby who was now just groaning into her, she asked, "Would you like to study with me? You might learn something."

Ruby perked up immediately. "You'd really help me?" she asked, pulling away from Weiss to look her in the eye. The warm feeling went away and Weiss decided the only reason it was there was because of Ruby's body heat.

"Yes Ruby. We're teammates, we help each other. And I suppose teaching someone else is the best way to learn. Blake helps Yang study somehow, so dealing with you shouldn't be as challenging," she thought to herself out loud. 

"Awe, thank you Weiss," Ruby said as she hugged her again. Weiss smiled, letting Ruby cling to her for a moment before separating them. 

"Come on," she said as she moved across the room to get another chair for Ruby. "Sit here," she instructed. Ruby zoomed into the chair using her semblance. She smiled up at Weiss as rose petals fell all around them. Weiss's heart hammered in her chest and a blush rose to her face. Flicking Ruby in the head she said, "Don't do that you Dolt. You nearly gave me a heart attack." 

As she took her seat next to Ruby, she said, "You know if you keep flicking me in the head I'll lose my brain cells."

"If only you had some to begin with I'd be concerned." 

Ruby fake laughed at her, "Oh ha ha." Weiss smiled and Ruby did too. The tingle in Weiss's chest stayed with her the whole time she tutored Ruby, but she was too busy trying to keep her temper in check at Ruby's ignorance to notice.

The months at school went by fast and it was already the second half of the year. Weiss was currently lying in her bed. It was the middle of the night and the only sound that could be heard was Yang's snoring. As her eyes started to hurt, Weiss turned from staring at the bottom of Ruby's bunk to look at something else. Yang's bright blonde hair caught her attention. She was sprawled out in Blake's bunk with the faunus lying half on top of her and half to the side. 

Weiss remembered the day they told her and Ruby they were together. She had been studying in her room, trying to teach Ruby about the different properties of Dust when they walked into the room hand in hand. They told them that they were together and Weiss was happy for them. Blake grounded Yang and kept her from doing too many stupid things while Yang brought her out of her books and into the moment. 

Ruby had immediately rushed at the two, giving them both hugs as she told them how happy she was for the two of them. Weiss had hugged Blake and told her she hoped she wasn't in over her head which the girl just laughed at. Yang had then asked Ruby when she'd find herself a special someone and for some reason Ruby had gotten embarrassed and dodged her sister's question which only made her ask more.

Weiss didn't admit it to herself, but ever since Ruby's weird behavior she hadn't been sleeping much. She had a hard time of accepting the idea that Ruby might have feelings for someone. Sure, Ruby would gush to Blake about couples and certain characters from the books she read, but for some reason this was different. Weiss tried to think of all the possible people Ruby would have had feelings for. There was Jaune, but he had just recently discovered Pyrrha's feelings for him and they have a steady thing going now. Ren was an option, but he was basically claimed by Nora. Both Nora and Pyrrha made it clear that they just wanted to be with their respective partners. Looking at Blake she wondered if it was possible Ruby had a crush on her and was too shy to say anything about it, but knew better than that. Ruby looked at Blake like another older sister.

Weiss abandoned the idea of it being one of their friends, and briefly wondered if she had a crush on a random person in their classes. She threw out that idea as well as she thought about recent classes. Ruby had finally started to pay attention in class. She didn't look at anyone except her team then. Coming up with only dead ends Weiss decided to try and figure out why Ruby's secret crush bothered her. 

She thought it might have been because they were best friends at this point, but if Weiss had had a crush, she wouldn't tell Ruby either. Sighing, she went back to staring at Ruby's bunk. Maybe it was bothering her so much because she was alone. The closest thing she had to a crush was Neptune when he came for the Vytal Festival Tournament but she never really felt anything other than a small attraction to his good looks. 

Hugging herself, Weiss thought of Ruby being with someone like Neptune and felt nauseous. Glancing at the clock she kept near her bed, Weiss saw it was nearly morning and time for breakfast. Deciding she was hungry, Weiss shut her eyes so time would go by faster. After breakfast that morning, the feeling popped up again as she watched Ruby talk to Velvet in the hallway.

It was nearing the end of the school year, the Vytal Festival Tournament happening in only a few months. This year it would occur at Haven Academy in Mistral. Weiss was currently with Ruby in the library looking for a book that Blake didn't have in her possession. She told Ruby, "You can wait for me if you want. I recommend when we're here you pick up any books you might need for your classes." Ruby nodded at her and she walked off to the back of the library.

She found the book she was looking for on the bottom row of the second to last shelf in the back of the room. 'Ocean Grimm: Murky Waters Addition', the title read. Satisfied, she walked back to where she left Ruby. As she passed the rows of bookshelves, Weiss saw her red themed partner standing in the center of a row. She was talking to Velvet who was holding a book titled, 'The Ninjas of Love'. Weiss noticed the bunny faunus was blushing heavily as she handed Ruby the book. 

Curious about what they could be talking about, Weiss walked down the opposite side of the shelf. She stopped when she heard Ruby and Velvet's conversation and pretended to be looking at books when she listened to what they were saying. 

"Thank you again Ruby. I haven't seen Blake in a while and I've been meaning to return it to her," Velvets sweet voice said. Relieved, Weiss was about to leave until she read the titles of some of the books in front of her. They were all romance novels. 

"Of course Velvet. It's not a big deal," Weiss heard Ruby say. Thinking the conversation was over Weiss got ready to leave. "Um, Velvet?" Weiss stopped in her tracks. Ruby sounded nervous and almost embarrassed. 

"Yes Ruby?" the faunus asked kindly.

Weiss heard Ruby take a deep breath. "Haveyoueverhadyourfirstkiss?" Ruby spoke so fast Weiss didn't understand everything she said. Cursing herself for not paying closer attention, Weiss strained her ears in hopes that Velvet would clarify what she said. 

The older girl just laughed, in a hushed way to avoid gaining the librarians attention. "Why do you ask?"

Weiss could hear Ruby's feet scuffing the floor and contemplated going over to them. Ruby only made that noise when she was uncomfortable. "Well, it's just all my friends are getting together and doing that stuff and I dunno. It feels weird being the only one who hasn't had mine." 

"Oh Ruby. I had my when I was four and this boy at the playground liked me so much he decided to kiss me. Coco didn't like that and vowed to track down the boy and kill him when I told her, but I didn't believe that matters. My first kiss was with a boy I don't even remember the name of, but I like to say that it was with Coco. You shouldn't feel left out. You're two years younger then everyone in your year so it makes sense you haven't been exposed to those types of situations." 

"How did you get Coco to like you?"

Velvet took a moment to think. "Well I'm not entirely sure, you'd have to ask her. I guess she could have just liked me for who I was. I didn't try to impress her or pretend to be someone I wasn't. In fact if I remember correctly, Coco liked me before I liked her. It was only when she kissed me did I realize what the feelings I had for her were." Another moment of silence passed. "Are you asking because a certain someone has caught your eye?" 

Ruby stuttered, "H-heh um, I dunno, I just was wondering." 

"Hey Red," Weiss heard the voice of Coco say. "What's up Bun?" Weiss heard a slapping noise and squeal from Velvet.

"Nothing," Ruby raced to say. Weiss could picture the image of Coco pulling down her shades.

"It's nothing really Coco," Velvet confirmed, "Ruby was just asking about us and our first kiss." 

"Ah yes. The kiss that brought us together. Are you having lady troubles?"

Weiss held her breath as Ruby answered. "What? No. I just was um wondering because of... Yang and Blake. They got together recently and I um, I felt bad that I haven't had my first kiss yet."

"Why don't you ask Weiss?" Coco asked nonchalantly. Whatever Ruby said to the couple got drowned out by the voice of the librarian who yelled at them for being too loud. Trying to avoid getting caught listening, Weiss walked back to the shelf she found her book on and picked up a few other thick volumes she struggled to carry. She walked up to the check out desk and waited for the librarian to come back. Once she did and she was given the books, Ruby walked up to Weiss. 

"Did you get anything?" Weiss asked her.

Ruby shook her head, "No. Did you get what you need?"

Weiss nodded. "I got the exact volume Professor Ooobleck mentioned in class and then some other books relating to the same subject in case we need other sources. Help me carry them." Ruby took some of the books and they started their walk back to their dorm. They walked in silence which allowed Weiss to think. Why would Coco suggest Ruby ask Weiss about first kisses? She herself hadn't had her own yet. Looking at Ruby, Weiss felt the tingle in her chest return when she thought of kissing Ruby. This time when the feeling came up, Weiss noticed it.

It was the day after finals and Weiss had just finished packing her bag. Tomorrow they left for Mistral and Weiss didn't want to worry about last minute packing. Currently she was in the locker room with Pyrrha, prepping Myrtenaster for its trip to Haven. "How are things going with Ruby?" Pyrrha asked her as she cleaned Miló, her main weapon, her shield Akoúo̱, already sparkling clean.

"Good. Her grades have been improving greatly the more I tutor her and as far as I'm aware her combat skills are still up to par. How are things with Jaune?" Weiss wasn't one for making small talk often, Pyrrha was an exception. 

"He's doing well. His grades are... sufficient. He's still quite upset he hasn't unlocked his semblance yet, but he has been improving with hand to hand combat. We're planning on going into Vale before we leave to get dinner and I was wondering if you'd want to join us on a double date." 

Confused, Weiss asked, "What do you mean double date? Ruby and I aren't together."

Pyrrha seemed to notice what she said wrong and turned to Weiss. She asked, "You aren't? Everyone just assumed you two are together. You spend all your time with her and let her hug you."

Weiss blushed furiously. "We-we're partners. Of course we spend a lot of time together. Blake and Yang spend all their time together."

"They're together," Pyrrha pointed out. 

"Even before they got together they spent a lot of time with each other." Weiss had placed Myrtenaster in her locker at this point and turned her full attention to Pyrrha. She followed in suit and put Miló down. "Does everyone think Ruby and I are together?"

Pyrrha shrugged, "Most people do, but you have to understand you treat her differently than everyone else. You went from constantly yelling at her to actively trying to spend time with her daily. It was a big change. Everyone thought something happened between you two." 

Blushing, Weiss thought of Ruby, the tingling in her chest returning. Feeling she could trust her, Weiss admited to Pyrrha, "Sometimes when I'm around Ruby I'll get this sort of... warmth that spreads through my body, or my chest will have this tingling feeling. I don't know what these feelings are, I've never felt them before. At first I thought it was something that came with being friends with someone, bot I have more friends now and I don't get them around anyone but Ruby." 

Pyrrha contemplated her words for a moment before asking, "How does imagining Ruby with someone make you feel."

Weiss clenched her fists. "It makes me irrationaly mad and upset. My stomach feels as if a Boarbatusks was rolling around in it and I just have to urge to put the picture out of my head."

Pyrrha nodded as she listened to Weiss, a knowing smile crossing her lips. "Perhaps you feel more things than you know for her. Maybe it's possible you want to be more than just friends with her," Pyrrha suggested.

The thought of being more than just friends with Ruby made Weiss blush and her heart beat faster. She was about to ask Pyrrha what exactly that meant when Jaune came running into the locker room. "Pyrrha," he cried out. The smell of skunk filled the room. Pyrrha went to her boyfriend before smelling whatever was on him and backing away. 

"What happened?" Weiss asked. 

Out of breath, Jaune panted out, "Nora.... Stink bomb.... Whole room smells." Weiss and Pyrrha both grimaced. 

Pyrrha glanced back at Weiss sympathetically and said, "Maybe we can talk about it another time." Weiss nodded and watched the two walk out. Knowing she would have to concentrate during the next few days, Weiss pushed this talk about Ruby to the back of her mind. 

Heading back to team RWBY's dorm, Weiss smiled as she heard Ruby and Yang panicking about packing through the door. As she walked in the door Ruby jumped on her arm and asked, "Will you help me pack?" her puppy dog eyes making an appearance.

Smiling, she affectionately flicked Ruby's forehead. "Of course you Dolt." The tingle in her chest that came when Ruby smiled at her made Weiss smile.

The Vytal Festival Tournament Ball at Haven was coming to an end. Weiss noticed some teams and groups leave, but the majority of the combined students were still present. Weiss had spent some time talking with Blake by the refreshments as Yang challenged a random guy to a dance off. The two had just left, which was why Weiss was searching for Ruby. 

She was about to call her on her scroll when she noticed someone in a red dress standing by one of the large bay windows the school had. Recognizing that dress as the one she showed Ruby when they went shopping together, Weiss walked up to her. "How are you?" she asked as she stood next to her. 

"Tired," Ruby replied. "My feet hurt from these stupid lady stilts." Weiss chuckled, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth. She looked at Ruby and her heart stopped. Her silver eyes were reflecting the light from the moon and her hair cast a shadow across her eye that reminded Weiss of her own scar. Touching the bottom of it gently, she blushed as Ruby met her gaze. 

Hesitantly, Weiss placed a kiss on Ruby's cheek. Pulling back, she said, "You looked really beautiful." Averting her eyes, Weiss coughed into her hand. 

"You're really pretty too Weiss." Weiss looked back at Ruby who was smiling at her with a light blush on her cheeks.

Blushing even harder, Weiss said as her heart pounded, "Thank you Ruby." Ruby giggled and held her hand. She smiled at her and looked out the window up at the moon. The tingle in her chest burned as Ruby held onto her. She relished in the feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the show the Vytal Tournament happens once every 2 years but for the story to work I'm making it happen every year.


	3. Something Else to Lovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During her third year at Beacon, Weiss realizes what she didn't understand before.

Weiss clung onto Ruby's shoulders as she spun her in circles. "Put me down you Dolt! Before You hurt the both of us."

"Sorry Weiss," Ruby apologized as she placed Weiss on the ground. Her arms stayed wrapped around her waist and Weiss kept her hands firmly planted on Ruby's shoulders. "I missed you so much," Ruby told her. 

Weiss half heartedly rolled her eyes. "I missed you too, you Dunce." Smiling at the tingling sensation she had missed so much over the summer months, Weiss took Ruby's hand as they walked over to Blake and Yang. Weiss glanced at Ruby as they walked and noticed that the girl towered over her, apparently having hit a growth spurt. It was almost as if Ruby could sense her staring because she turned to look at her. She sent a dazzling smile her way, squeezing Weiss's hand in her own. Smiling back at her, Weiss squeezed her hand. 

Weiss noticed Blake eyeing their conjoined hands as they walked over, but the faunus said nothing. She had long ditched the bow she had once used to conceal herself. She claimed getting older made her realize it was silly, but Weiss had a sinking suspicion that it had something to do with Yang always making a fuss about how cute she thought they were. Hugging the girl she had become close friends with, Weiss was scooped into a crushing hug by Yang the second she let go of Blake. "We missed you Weiss," the brute told her. "Ruby couldn't stop talking about you all summer. She just couldn't wait to get back here." 

Smiling softly, Weiss glanced at Ruby who looked extremely bashful at the moment, scratching the back of her head as she looked at the ground blushing. Also blushing, Weiss said, "I miss you guys too." She and Ruby locked eyes as she spoke. 

Ruby tugged her out of Yang's arms, saying, "Let's go to our room. You still need to unpack." Weiss felt Ruby's arm wrap around her waist. She used her semblance and then they were standing outside of their new dorm. 

Weiss giggled. Placing her hand on Ruby's surprisingly stronger bicep, she said, "You forgot my bag, Dolt." 

"Oops," Ruby said. "I'll be right back." In a flash of rose petals, Ruby was gone and Weiss stood alone in the hallway. She caught one of the petals in her hand and watched as it dissolved. Entering the room, Weiss noticed something different. The bunk beds were still set up on her and Ruby's side of the room, but Yang and Blakes beds were pushed together. She also noticed at her desk there was a second chair. Half of the table was covered with Ruby's stuff as it had been for the majority of their second year at Beacon. 

Smiling, Weiss walked over to it and picked up a picture Ruby had. It was of the two of them. Ruby was standing with her arm around Weiss, looking at the camera while grinning while Weiss just stared at her with a fond smile on her face. Weiss felt the warmth she had missed spread through her. The door opened and Ruby came up behind her. She placed her suitcase on Weiss's bed and jumped onto her bunk. Weiss rolled her eyes. Putting the picture down she walked over to Ruby. "How many times am I going to have to tell you to take your dirty shoes off me bed?" 

Ruby smiled at her. "Until I listen." 

Weiss cocked an eyebrow at her and placed a hand on her hip. "Ruby Rose. Do I have to drag you off my bed?" 

Ruby giggled, making Weiss's chest tingle. "Maybe," she said. As Weiss moved to grab Ruby's legs, Ruby grabbed her wrist and tugged her on top of her. Ruby wrapped her arms around her and held on tight. Weiss blushed, her heart beating out of her chest. Burying her face on Ruby's neck, she heard her say, "I really, really missed you Weiss." 

"I missed you too Ruby." Hugging Ruby, Weiss forgot about dirty shoes or the beating of her heart. Her only focus was the girl underneath her who was humming happily.

It had only been a few weeks into the new school year and Weiss and Ruby had already fallen into old habits. They did homework together, they studied together, they sparred together, they were always together. Weiss felt herself craving more and more time with Ruby. It was currently the weekend which meant no classes. Weiss and Ruby were in the locker room, getting ready for a sparring lesson they planned to have together. 

Weiss was filling Myrtenaster with Dust while Ruby reloaded Crescent Rose. Placing her rapier at her waist, Weiss turned to Ruby to see if she was ready to go when she saw a group of first year students walk through the locker room doors. "Ruby!" one of them called. Weiss watched as her partner turned to them before smiling and rushing into the group. They all started hugging and Weiss took an educated guess that these were Ruby's friends from either Patch or Signal academy. 

Not wanting to seem impatient, but wanting to get done with their training so she could head into town with Ren and Blake, she walked up to the group to remind Ruby they had to get going. Almost as if she could sense her, Ruby turned around to pull Weiss to her side. Smiling, she said enthusiastically, "Weiss! These are my friends from Signal! I completely forgot they were going to be coming to Beacon this year." 

The girl with purple hair who Weiss assumed was the team leader said, "It's nice to meet you Weiss. We were all wondering what unlucky soul would have to put up with Ruby for four years." 

There was something about this girl that irked Weiss immediately. "Ruby is an outstanding partner. I'd say I got lucky being paired with her." Weiss saw Ruby smiling at her through the corner of her eye. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintances..." 

"Nebula Violette of team NDGO. This is Dew Gayl, Gwen Darcy, and Octavia Ember," Nebula introduced her team."

Weiss nodded. "It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance team NDGO. Ruby and I have a sparring session to attend. Perhaps we will see you around the school." 

Motioning for Ruby to follow her, Weiss was about to walk away from the conversation when the red head, Octavia suggested, "We were about to train together as well. Maybe we could train with you guys. It would be nice to learn from people who have more experience than us."

Weiss's first instinct was to say no, but these were Ruby's friends. She looked at her and regretted it. Ruby had her puppy dog eyes on full display and was pouting. "Please Weiss," she begged with her hands clasped together. 

Weiss looked away as she felt a blush rise on her face. "As long as they don't slow us down," Weiss said. Ruby cheered and immediately started talking to her friends about how their old school was doing and what it was like. Weiss just rolled her eyes and walked off. 

As they made it to the training yard, Weiss felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Ruby smiling at her softly. "Thank you Weiss," she said. "It means a lot to me. I haven't seen them in forever." 

Huffing, Weiss said, "I really don't mind them joining us Ruby, but I am serious. They better be able to keep up with us." 

Ruby smiled, saluting her, "Don't worry Princess. They'll keep up with us." Weiss felt her heart pound after hearing Ruby call her Princess. 

She just rolled her eyes and flicked Ruby's forehead. "Dolt," she said affectionately. Ruby smiled at her softly, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the center of the yard. Weiss smiled at Ruby as they stood side by side, preparing to fend off team NDGO's attacks. Needless to say after practicing with the first year team, Ruby made Weiss promise they would do it more often and who was Weiss to deny her something that made her so happy. 

They were back in the locker room putting their weapons away. Weiss was taking out the vials of Dust from Myrtenaster so there wouldn't be an accident when she noticed Ruby talking to Octavia. A burning in her heart appeared as she saw the red head touch Ruby's forearm. She told herself it was heartburn from the breakfast she had and shut her locker. Leaving to join Ren and Blake for tea in Vale, Weiss noticed the burning in her chest wouldn't go away as she thought of Ruby with that girl.

Months passed and Weiss noticed Ruby would split her time between her friends from Signal and everyone from Beacon. She still felt a burning in her heart when she saw Ruby with Octavia, but always found a reason for it to be something other than what she knew it was. Weiss couldn't admit to herself she was jealous of Ruby's friendship with the other girl because she didn't understand why she was jealous in the first place. Ruby was her best friend and she knew Ruby considered her to be hers as well if her telling Weiss so nearly once a day meant anything.

It was during lunch and instead of being in the cafeteria with the rest of her friends Weiss was all alone in the team's dorm. Today was once of the days Ruby ate with her other friends and Weiss didn't want to sit at the table without her. She was in the process of writing to Winter like she did every so often. She had told her about how Yang and Blake have been doing and how both them and team JNPR have been preparing for the midterms next month. Weiss hadn't had as much time to study with Ruby as she would have liked which was why her pen had currently stopped moving over the paper. 

Weiss didn't know what to tell Winter about Ruby. Normally she would tell her about what she and Ruby had done the day she wrote to her sister, but all they had done together that day was walk to class. Frowning, Weiss wrote to her sister, 'Ruby had been doing well. Her friends from Signal Academy have come to Beacon and she's been spending time with them. It's strange not spending my time with her. She was always at my side and now it's as if I rarely see her. I know it's quite silly of me but I can't help but miss her. I got used to spending my days with Ruby and now when I watch her off with her other friends, my chest starts to hurt. I suppose I have been training more on my own since I have the free time, but I don't think that the increase in exercise is the cause of it. I believe our assignment for the midterms will be to assist a huntsman out in the field...' Weiss wrote trailing past her thoughts of Ruby as she continued to inform Winter of what has been going on in her life.

With Weiss absent from the cafeteria, she missed the sight of Ruby Rose searching the room for someone, only to be disappointed when she couldn't find them.

To prepare for their upcoming mission, Weiss was strolling through Vale in search of Dust. She had originally brought an ample supply of the more common types of Dust that she often used from the Schnee quarry, but not much else. 

As Weiss walked to the downtown Dust store, From Dust to Dawn, she smelled a scent that was very familiar. Curious, she walked to where the smell was coming from and smiled when she saw a bakery with freshly made chocolate chip cookies out on display. Checking the time on her scroll, Weiss walked in and ordered a platter of cookies, a certain Rose on her mind. After paying for the treats, she left to go look at different Dust types.

When Weiss walked around the corner, she noticed a flower vender had been set up. Weiss stopped as one of the flowers caught her eye. Her heart immediately told her to go get it. As she went to cross the street, she heard a bell from one of the nearby stores' door. Embarrassed, Weiss scolded herself for forgetting her task at hand. She made her way to From Dust to Dawn and browsed through the different selections. She purchased what she thought might help with the mission and left.

As she walked back to the airship transport a nagging voice in her mind told her, 'Go back. For Ruby.' Blushing to herself, she ignored the voice and continued her walk. As she passed by the bakery again, Weiss stopped and looked over her shoulder. Cursing herself for being so indecisive, Weiss walked back toward the vendor. When she reached the stand she hurriedly picked out the flower she wanted, blushing the whole while. 

She took a moment to stare at it, feeling warm in her chest as she thought of Ruby's smile once she gave it to her. Placing it on top of the cookies, Weiss began her second walk back to the transport area of Vale.

On the airship, Weiss kept glancing inside the bag to make sure the flower wasn't crushed. "Who's that for?" the voice of her faunus teammate said from behind her.

"Blake!" she said, surprised. She shut the bag with more force than necessary and cringed when she remembered the flower. "Why are you here?" she asked in attempts to redirect the conversation. 

"Same reason you were. Getting Dust infused ammunition. Who did you get the flower for?" she asked again. Weiss blushed and motioned for Blake to take a seat next to her. Opening up the bag, she showed her the cookies that lay under the flower. "Oh, for Ruby. That was sweet of you. I'm sure she'll love it." 

"What's wrong with me?" Weiss asked her. "How come I can't go on a single shopping trip without thinking of her and going out of my way to do something for her? Why can't I get her out of my head?" Blake smirked at her and chuckled. Weiss glared at the faunus, her cheeks stained red. "It's not funny," Weiss stated angrily.

"Of course not Weiss," Blake cleared up. "It's just, don't you think there's a more logical explanation as to why these thoughts about Ruby keep coming up?" 

Weiss pursed her lips as she stared at Blake with narrowed eyes. "I don't understand what you mean. Ever since I met Ruby she's been on my mind. Whether it's because of the headache she causes me or how proud of her I am for getting a good grade on a test she's always on my mind somehow. I just don't know why. At first I thought it might be because she was the first real friend I ever made but I don't think that's the case anymore. I have other friends now and none of them have made me feel the way Ruby does." 

Blake put her hand on top of Weiss's. "Maybe these feelings aren't ones you'd associate with friendship," she suggested. Confused, Weiss looked up from her lap at Blake. She continued, "Maybe you feel more for Ruby than you realize. And maybe, you want to be more than just friends with her."

"Ruby and I are already best friends," Weiss said. Blake sighed to herself. 

Patting Weiss on the knee, she said, "You'll figure it out soon enough. You're smart Weiss." Blake and Weiss stood up as the ship landed.

"Why do I feel like that was sarcastic?" Weiss asked as they walked off the ship. Blake shrugged, a small smirk on her lips.

That night when Ruby was practicing hand to hand combat with Yang, Weiss placed the cookies and white rose on her bed before leaving to go to the library. When she returned to the room after lights out, she smiled at the sight of the empty platter. She blushed the second she noticed the rose in a cup of water. As she crawled in bed that night she heard above her, "Thank you Weiss. You're the best." She fell asleep that night with a smile on her face and fire in her chest.

Walking the empty streets of the abandoned town Professor Oobleck had brought them too sent a chill down Weiss's spine. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. A flash of rose petals appeared around her and Ruby was by her side. Taking off her cloak, she placed it over Weiss's shoulders, grinning at her like an idiot. "I don't want you to get cold," she explained to her. Weiss blushed at her actions and grabbed Ruby's hand.

Rolling her eyes with a smile on her lips. "What happens if you get cold now, you Dunce?" 

Ruby pondered her question for a moment before snapping. "Then I'd ask Yang for a hug." Looking over her shoulder at the blonde, Weiss saw Blake planted firmly at her side. 

"I think you'd have to fight Blake for that," Weiss joked. She watched Ruby look back at the couple for a second and started thinking again. 

"I could take my cloak back from you," she threw out. Weiss looked at her in a way that asked, would you really? "Or, I could hug you. You're really warm too." 

Laughing to herself, Weiss said, "Tell Yang that. I don't think she's stopped calling me Ice Queen since our first year."

Ruby waved her arm in front of her in a dismissive motion, "Forget about Yang she doesn't know what she's talking about." Smiling at her, she took a step closer to Ruby so her shoulder rubbed against Ruby's arm as they walked. "I'm warmer already. See what I mean, Yang's stupid."

"But still stronger than you," she reminded them. Ruby stuck her tongue out at her over her shoulder making Weiss giggle. They walked a little while longer in silence until they reached a square of run down, broken apart homes. Even with Ruby's cloak and her right next to her, Weiss couldn't help but feel chilled to the bone. Professor Oobleck took the lead and began to walk through the destroyed homes. 

Weiss felt Ruby squeeze her hand. Looking up at her she saw a reassuring smile on her face. She smiled back up at her and let Ruby lead the way. They kept walking until Oobleck stopped in his tracks. "Oh dear," he said. Going up to where he was, Weiss gasped at what she saw. It was the body of a dog laying next to a child's rusted bicycle. 

"It must have waited for his owners to come back for him," Yang said. That idea saddened Weiss even more. The howl of a beowolf could be heard in the distance, clearly attracted to the group's negative emotions. 

"Come. We have no time for dilly dally. We must get a move on," Oobleck insisted. Before they could leave the area, a beowolf stood where they needed to go, blocking their exit. As Ruby dropped her hand to pick up Crescent Rose, Weiss reached for Myrtenaster.

It charged at them and Ruby called out, "Bumbleby!" Blake took action, sending the ribbon of Gambol Shroud at Yang who used Ember Celica to propel herself at it. As they went after the grimm another growl could be heard from behind them. Weiss turned to see two beowolves heading their way. Driving Myrtenaster into the ground, a line of ice appeared and encompassed one of the beowolves, the other still charging at them.

Ruby met it head on, cleaving it in half with one swing of Crescent Rose. Oobleck's blowtorch like weapon could be heard as he fought a fourth beowolf. Weiss heard ice cracking and looked just in time to see the beowolf she trapped break free. "Ruby!" she cried as it ran towards her. Using her glyphs, Weiss ran towards Ruby, pushing her out of harm's way and in the process, smashing her ankle into a shard of ice that stuck out from the ground. She summoned her Arma Gigas, she used it's sword to chop through the beowolf. It dissolved in the air before Weiss fell to her knees. Her ankle was already throbbing. 

Ruby fell to her side, looking her over to see where she was hurt. As she grabbed Weiss's leg gently she said, "Be more careful next time you Dunce. You could have been killed." She winced as Ruby felt her ankle, hissing in pain. 

"You're hurt," Ruby said, frowning.

"Better my ankle than your whole body." Ruby kept frowning, making Weiss's heartache. "I'll be fine Ruby. I promise." She smiled at her partner, but that didn't lessen the amount of concern Ruby had written on her face. 

"What's going on?" Yang asked as she ran up to the pair. Blake and Professor Oobleck were right behind her.

"Weiss got hurt," Ruby told them.

"I just twisted my ankle," she insisted. "I'll be fine, I just need to walk it off." Weiss had Ruby help her to her feet, but the second she tried putting weight on her foot, she was in excruciating pain.

Ruby immediately moved to Weiss's side to support her. "No you're not fine, you're hurt. Weiss," she whined. "Professor, tell her she's hurt."

Professor Oobleck examined Weiss for a moment before saying, "You are indeed hurt Miss Schnee. Ruby is right. Our mission is complete, we eradicated the pack of beowolves in the area. We can head home early. There is no point staying out here when Miss Schnee needs medical attention. Let us begin back to the relay point." He walked off back where they came from and the team took it as their sign to follow him. 

Yang walked up to Weiss and asked, "Do you want me to carry you?" 

Before Weiss could answer, she was in Ruby's arms. "It's okay sis. I got her." 

Yang and Blake both looked skeptical. "Are you sure?" Yang asked her. 

Ruby nodded. "She's as light as a snowflake." 

"Hey!" Weiss said, offended. Ruby smiled at her sheepishly before starting to walk. She nearly stumbled as she couldn't see her feet and Weiss told her, "Don't you dare drop me you Dolt." 

"I'd never," Ruby said with a more serious tone than Weiss expected. Looking up into Ruby's eyes, Weiss saw how torn up she appeared. 

Resting her head on Ruby's shoulder, she said, "I know Ruby." Closing her eyes, Weiss sighed in content as the warm feeling and tingling in her chest washed over her.

It turned out Weiss had done more than just sprain her ankle. She had dislocated it and was currently in a cast lying on her bed. The school nurse had told her that her ankle could take anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks to heal. Ruby had ordered her to rest, threatening to use her puppy dog eyes if she defied her. It had been three weeks since the incident and Weiss had her foot propped up with pillows Ruby let her use when she was at class.

Ever since her injury, Weiss had been bored. She wasn't allowed to go to class or eat in the cafeteria with her friends. Team CFVY, JNPR, and even team NDGO had stopped by to tell her they hoped she got better fast, Pyrrha and Ren occasionally coming over to talk or have tea with her. Mostly Weiss spent her time with Ruby. She knew that Ruby blamed herself for her getting hurt and was trying to make it up to her in whatever way, but Weiss was just happy to spend time with her.

When she wasn't in class or training, Ruby would rush to Weiss using her semblance so they could eat lunch or dinner together, watch movies, or play games. Ruby would help her with her homework and take notes for her in class. She'd stand next to Weiss as she made her way to and from the bathroom. She'd fill her in on the gossip she heard during the day that Weiss didn't really care about, but never told her to stop talking just to hear her voice. 

It was nearly lunchtime and Weiss was waiting for Ruby to bring her whatever was for lunch that day. She wasn't as excited for the food as she was for Ruby's company. Being with her made Weiss feel happy. She heard the lock on the door turn off and smiled. The cheery voice of her partner called out from behind the opening door, "Today I have scavenged the cafeteria for food and managed to find a PB and J and nice Caeser salad. Should the princess of the dorm prefer something else, I will return and hunt for the fabled tuna sandwich I know Blake gets from the lunch lady."

Weiss giggled at Ruby's antics. "The salad is fine Ruby. Thank you again." 

Ruby pulled a chair up next to Weiss's bed. "It's no problem Weiss really. I like spending the time with you." Ruby smiled at her sincerely as she passed Weiss her lunch.

"How have classes been so far today?" Weiss asked as she opened the container lid. 

"Oh! That reminds me. You got a letter." Weiss watched in confusion as Ruby took an envelope out of her folder and handed it to her. 

Accepting it she asked, "How does me asking about school remind you of a letter for me." 

Ruby shrugged and took a bite of her sandwich. "The handwriting was fancy like a teacher's," she said with food in her mouth. Grimacing, Weiss glanced at the envelope and recognized Winter's handwriting. Surprised her sister responded to her, Weiss wasted no time opening and reading its contents. 

'Weiss, I hope this finds you well,' the letter started. 'I heard about your accident and figured I'd reach out to you. I wish you a speedy recovery and good health.' Weiss read through more of her sister's formalities until she got to a part that made her blush. 'Your leader, Ruby Rose sounds endearing.' Weiss could almost see the difference in ink color as Winter had paused to come up with an adequate word to describe Ruby. 'From what I've gathered about her through the letters you've sent me over the years, she seems like the type of person you need in your life. From your latest communication I assume you know that too. I can't wait to meet her as you come for the Vytal Festival Tournament in Atlas next year. It will be nice to catch up with you after all this time. Love, Winter.' 

Weiss read her sister's words time after time after time. 'The type of person you need in your life. You know that too. Love' Weiss looked up at Ruby who had been watching a show on her scroll. Peanut butter was smeared on her chin and jelly dripped onto her fingers. She noticed Weiss looking at her and met her gaze with a smile. 

"What did it say?" she asked her. 

"It was my sister. She told me she hopes I have a speedy recovery." Weiss watched as Ruby licked the jelly off her fingers, her scroll thrown on the bed next to her feet.

"That was nice of her." Weiss nodded. She was too distracted to have a full on conversation with Ruby. 

'You need in your life. Love. You need.' Weiss's mind kept drifting back to Winter's words. 'Need. Love.' The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, scaring both Ruby and Weiss who hadn't been expecting it. Weiss saw Ruby's eyes on her untouched lunch and told her, "I'll eat it now don't worry. You should get to class soon." 

Ruby nodded at her saying, "Okay Weiss. If you need anything in just text me and I'll come help you in between classes, alright?" 

Flicking her forehead, Weiss said, "Of course Dolt. Don't be late now."

"Yeah, yeah. You just want to get rid of me so you can secretly eat my cookie stash," Ruby joked with her. She smiled, her silver eyes shining. Weiss's chest felt a familiar tingle show up. She stood, putting her chair back in place and throwing out her empty lunch tray.

"Ruby Rose you better not have a stash of cookies in this room," Weiss scolded.

"Sorry can't hear you Weiss, I'm already in class." Ruby disappeared in a flurry of roses. Weiss watched them fall to the ground with a smile. She managed to catch on in her hand before it fell to the floor. She looked at the bright red color and smiled as thoughts and memories of Ruby filled her head.

'Love,' the voice in the back of her head said. Weiss's eyes widened and she clutched the petal in her palm. She finally understood what everyone had been trying to tell her. The tingling she got in her chest was because of Ruby. The fast beating of her heart was because of Ruby. The warmth that spread through her body was because of Ruby. And it was love. She was in love with Ruby Rose.

Weiss was stunned. How could she not have realized it before? Feeling the urge to slap herself and giggle like the school girl she was, Weiss muttered to herself, "Maybe I'm the dunce." 

It had been a few weeks after Weiss got her cast off and Ruby insisted on going with her everywhere. She escorted Weiss to class or the cafeteria and helped her with her physical therapy. She carried her heavy books for her and got her lunch for her everyday. Weiss didn't mind spending time with Ruby, she just found it hard to keep composure when Ruby would do something cute. She noticed herself blushing more and craving Ruby's touch.

Weiss and Ruby were walking through the courtyard as a form of exercise. Weiss insisted Ruby should hold her hand in case she fell even though she hadn't felt pain in her ankle for a little over a week. The sun was setting and there was a slight chill in the air. They walked in comfortable silence until Ruby unexpectedly stopped.

Weiss stopped too and looked up at Ruby who was already staring at her. "You know this is where we first met," she said. "You yelled at me for like a minute straight and asked if I was brain dead."

Weiss chuckled, slightly embarrassed about how harshly she treated her all those years ago. "I was a bit... extreme back then," Weiss admitted. 

"But that's okay. It made me even more determined to be your friend." Weiss smiled at Ruby softly. "And get you to like me," Ruby added. Weiss wasn't sure what type of face she made, but it must have made Ruby nervous because the next thing she knew, Ruby was rushing through her words. "I know that we're friends, best friends at that, but Weiss... I want more than that with you. I fell in love with you-" Ruby was cut off as Weiss smashed her lips into hers.

She stood on her tiptoes, her arms draped over Ruby's shoulders as she kissed the younger girl. Ruby sighed into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Weiss's waist. She wasn't sure which one of them pulled back first, but the second her mouth was free, Weiss said, "I love you too Ruby." Opening her eyes, she stared into the shining silver ones in front of her. Ruby was grinning like the Dolt she was as she lifted Weiss up and spun her in a circle. 

Weiss just giggled and leaned in for another kiss as Ruby placed her on the ground. The pounding of her heart, the tingle of her chest, the warmth that spread through her was right there through everything. "I love you," Weiss said again as they separated, not believing that what was happening was really happening.

"I love you too Weiss." They stayed in each other's arms until it became dark out. They walked back into the school hand in hand, smiling brighter than anyone had ever seen the both of them smile before.

It had been months since Ruby and Weiss got together and it was nearly the end of the school year. All their friends had been supportive and happy for them. Yang had threatened to beat her up if she broke Ruby's heart and Ruby threatened to beat Yang up for threatening Weiss.

Weiss was currently in the team's dorm waiting for Ruby to get out of the shower so they could watch a movie together. Ruby had taped her scroll to the bottom of her bunk so they could watch it while lying down on Weiss's bed. She was brushing her hair when Ruby walked out of the bathroom. Seeing her hair down, Ruby asked, "Can I braid your hair? It's so long now." 

Weiss didn't even bother looking at Ruby, knowing she had her puppy dog eyes out and ready. "Sure Ruby," she sighed, putting her brush down. Rose petals fluttered around her and Ruby was standing behind her. Her fingers moved through her hair swiftly, careful to not hurt her. Blake smiled at the two as she looked up from the book in her hands. She was happy for the both of them and even though Yang wouldn't admit it, she knew her girlfriend was happy for the pair too.

"Hair tie?" Ruby asked as she completed the braid. Blake passed her the one from her wrist. "Okay don't look yet Weiss. And, tada!" Ruby said, pulling away from her. Weiss rolled her eyes before turning to her girlfriend and planting a quick kiss on her lips. 

"Thank you, you Dolt," Weiss said. 

Ruby pouted her lips at the nickname. "Do you have to keep calling me that?" she asked. "Why can't you call me, sweetie or darling or something? Yang calls Blake babe."

Weiss shrugged as she got into bed. "Because Yang is out there and you've always been a Dolt. Now you're just my Dolt."

Ruby slid in bed after her. "I could be your rose now," she suggested. 

Weiss contemplated the pet name as she hummed to herself. "Shh, the movie is starting," she told Ruby as she leaned up to start it. 

Ruby dramatically whined, "Weiss," as she snaked her arms around her waist. 

The door to their room slammed open and Yang yelled, "GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY SISTER ICE QUEEN!" Everyone looked at the door where Yang stood. Weiss glared at her before rolling her eyes.

"We didn't even do anything you brute. And we wouldn't even try anything anyway. Blake's here," Weiss said, aggravated.

Yang glared back at her. "Just keep your hands where I can see them Schnee," she said. Both Weiss and Ruby rolled their eyes. Ignoring Yang, they turned their attention back to the movie, Weiss cuddling herself against Ruby. She ran her fingers through Ruby's short hair, massaging her scalp in the process. Ruby's hand rubbed up and down Weiss's back and she kissed her forehead. "No PDA," Yang called out from where she watched them in the bathroom. Provoking her, Weiss planted a kiss on Ruby's lips. 

Yang angrily huffed as she joined Blake on their shared bed. "Don't let her get to you," she said, not looking up from her book. 

"It's hard not to when she's practically on top of my Rubes." Yang sulked as she watched the happy couple laugh at the screen. Sighing, Blake shut her book and put it down.

She kissed Yang on the cheek before whispering in her ear, "Why don't you give me a massage tonight and I treat you to a little something tomorrow night?" Blake was basically purring and if she had a tail it would have been swinging back and forth slowly. Yang immediately brightened up and got to work. 

Across the room Weiss started to doze off in Ruby's arms. Her body was warm and her heart was beating in tandem with Ruby's. She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. "Goodnight Weiss," Ruby whispered to her. 

"Goodnight my rose," she murmured into Ruby's neck. She could practically feel Ruby smiling, the happiness radiating off her. Drifting to sleep Weiss felt like her soul was full. She was the happiest she had been in years, surrounded by the people who made her happy, but most importantly, she was surrounded by Ruby's love. The love they shared for each other.

The Vytal Festival Tournament Ball was in full swing. Team CFVY had come in first place that year, Velvet earning the win for the team. Ruby and Weiss were currently dancing together in the moonlight, Vacuo's Shade Academy having its ball held outside the school building.

Weiss laid her head on Ruby's shoulder as they swayed together, a small smile on her lips. She and Ruby had coordinated their outfits that year so they matched. Weiss had insisted getting Ruby another rose to place behind her ear for the night and Ruby agreed on the condition she could wear flats for the night. Weiss had happily agreed, not needing Ruby to be any more taller than her than she already was.

She felt a kiss on her hair and looked up at Ruby. Her silver eyes shone in the moonlight and Weiss mirrored the soft smile she wore. "I love you. I'm going to miss not being with you over the summer." 

Weiss placed her hand on Ruby's cheek. "I'm going to miss you more than you know Ruby. It will only be a couple of months, I'm sure you can handle yourself in that time." 

Ruby smiled at her before asking, "Are you sure there's no way you'd be able to meet up during the summer?" 

Weiss shook her head, "Unfortunately not. My father is strict as you know." Seeing the dejected look on Ruby's face, Weiss kissed her. When she pulled away she asked, "Better?" 

"Maybe after a few more," Ruby told her with a grin. 

Rolling her eyes Weiss kissed her again. "How was that?" she asked. 

Ruby tugged her in for another kiss, "I'll tell you when I'm good." Weiss smiled into the kiss, her heart pounding and warmth spreading through her. 

"I love you Ruby," Weiss told her.

"I love you too Weiss."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want to have to come up with new characters for Ruby's friends so I decided to use team NDGO to fill the role. Also Yang did get laid for anyone wondering.


	4. Lovers to Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During her fourth year at Beacon, Weiss knows what she has to do.

Weiss smiled as Ruby picked her up in her arms and held her. "I missed you so much," Ruby whispered to her as she held her.

"I missed you too, you Dunce." Ruby pulled away from her only to plant a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Break it up you two," Yang called as she walked with Blake over to the couple. "Ice Queen," she addressed her as.

"Yang. It's lovely to see you again," Weiss said with a smirk. "And you Blake." Weiss gave her a hug before returning to Ruby's side.

"Oh, we haven't had time to set up the rooms in advance," Ruby said, grabbing her arm. "Let's go do that now."

Smiling, Ruby used her semblance to transport the both of them to their room as Yang yelled, "You better make bunk beds again!" Students from all different years stopped to stare at her.

The second they got to their new room, Weiss was pressed up against the door as Ruby kissed her. Her hands traveled across Ruby's shoulders before landing in her hair. Ruby's arm was wrapped firmly around her waist, her hand coming up to lightly cup her cheek. Weiss smiled into the kiss and broke it off. "We should start unpacking before Yang gets up here."

Ruby kissed her again. "We can wait a few more minutes," she said between her kisses. Weiss's heart swelled with warmth and pounded in her chest.

"You're lucky I love you Ruby Rose," Weiss said as she stared into her favorite shade of silver.

"I know I am," was Ruby's response. Weiss leaned up to kiss her again as the door swung open. Yang glared at Weiss from the doorway but kept her mouth shut. Ruby sighed and Weiss just rolled her eyes. Separating from Ruby, Weiss walked over to a bed and put her luggage on it.

Blake pushed two beds to the right side of the room, claiming them as her and Yang's. Ruby went to copy her actions. Weiss watched as Yang struggled to not say anything, her arms crossed as she watched her sister. Walking over to Blake, she whispered, "I don't know what you did, but thank you and I'm sorry." 

Blake smiled, shaking her head. "Ruby is eighteen now. I just mentioned to Yang she could make her own decisions." Weiss was skeptical and raised a brow. Blake sighed before admitting, "And I told her if she left you guys alone I'd let her call me kitty."

"That's right my kitty cat," Yang said while grinning as she walked up and wrapped her arm around Blake's waist. "But that doesn't mean you get to molest my Rubes."

Weiss scoffed, "Please as if you don't grope Blake at least once a day." 

Yang insisted, "She likes it."

"How do you know Ruby doesn't like it?" Weiss asked. Yang cracked all her knuckles in her fist at once. "Not that I would know," Weiss added in hopes of saving her life.

"Good," Yang said. "Keep it that way." She walked off to put her hygienic related stuff in the bathroom and Weiss just rolled her eyes. 

Ruby handed her her suitcase and whispered in her ear, "I'd like it if you did it to me." Weiss blushed as red as a rose and dropped her luggage on her foot. 

She hissed in pain before whisper yelling, "Ruby! Don't say that."

Her girlfriend giggled at her before saying, "Sorry Weiss." 

Weiss flicked her forehead, "Dolt."

After the first test of the school year was completed and all of team RWBY got good scores, they were in Vale celebrating. Weiss and Blake were walking side by side down the sidewalk as Ruby and Yang raced each other to the game store down the street. Weiss smiled fondly when Ruby turned to her and waved. 

"She's cute," Blake commented. Weiss hummed in agreement as she watched Ruby trip over Yang's outstretched foot. "Have you thought about what is going to happen between you two once school is over?"

Weiss pursed her lips. "I was thinking about that this summer. I know Ruby will want to travel all over Remnant as a huntress, but my father has made it clear after my schooling is done, I'll be in position to take over the Schnee Dust Company." The thought of not seeing Ruby for months at a time made Weiss's heart ache. 

"I don't know Weiss. Your father doesn't seem like the type to give up power so easily. You might have a few more years of doing what you want." Blake put a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly. 

"And what do you want?" Weiss asked. "Do you plan on going back to Menagerie with Yang? What does she even want to do in life?" 

"I always wanted to rebuild the image of the White Fang. Turn it back into the activist group it was before it became a face for terrorism. I know Yang would support me with it and even want to join me, but I'm not going to stop her from doing what she wants to in life. I don't think we'll ever settle down in just one place until we're older. For now I just want to enjoy every moment I can with her, doing what I really believe in." 

Weiss admired Blake. She always knew what she wanted to do in life. Nothing was ever chosen for her. "If I think of things like you, I suppose I'd want to go on missions with Ruby for a few years before taking over my father's company. Once I successfully changed people's views about the company then maybe I'd settle with Ruby somewhere in Atlas. Or maybe somewhere like Patch. As long as I'm with her I don't really care where we end up or what we do." Weiss felt her heart beat fast at the thought of spending the rest of her life with Ruby and lightly blushed.

Blake smiled at her kindly and opened the door to the game store for her. Weiss walked in and saw Ruby looking over a rack of stuffed animals. She took out a couple of Lien as she went to her. She was holding a corgi in her hand, smiling fondly at it. "This reminds me of Zwei," she told Weiss as she stood next to her.

"I'll get it for you if you want," Weiss offered. 

Ruby lit up like a child. "Thank you Weiss," she said as she hugged her and placed a kiss on her cheek. Weiss smiled and gave her the Lien to buy it herself.

Sensing someone watching her, Weiss turned around to see Yang glaring at her. She pointed her fingers at her eyes before pointing them back at Weiss. "Oh grow up," Weiss told her before walking to the checkout counter.

"That will be ten Lien cutie," Weiss heard the shop keep say as she walked up to Ruby. She looked at him in disgust as she grabbed Ruby's hand. Ruby handed him the money and waited impatiently for the stuffed animal. The second he handed it to her, she hugged it to her chest and started giggling. 

Weiss smiled at her girlfriend, leading her outside so they could wait for Yang and Blake. "When we get to the restaurant, can I get chicken tenders?" Ruby asked.

"No. You're an adult Ruby, you'll get a real meal." They sat together on a nearby bench. 

Ruby draped her arm around Weiss. "That rhymed," she giggled. Weiss rolled her eyes and leaned her head against Ruby's shoulder. "Hey Weiss?"

"Yes Ruby?"

"I love you." Weiss blushed at her words. Sitting upright, she cupped Ruby's face and kissed her on the cheek. 

"I love you too Ruby." 

The first quarterly tests of the school year started next week and Weiss was with Ruby in the library. They were watching an old PTA about what to do during a grimm attack that Professor Port let Weiss borrow after asking him what might help her prepare for the upcoming tests. It was so old they had to find a projector and screen to watch it on which was why they weren't studying in their dorm. 

Weiss was taking in depth notes of what was being said while Ruby drew rushed yet detailed diagrams of grimm weak points and blind spots. When the video began talking about boaratusks, Ruby whispered, "Weak spot, belly. No armor underneath."

"Stop telling me what to write," Weiss whispered back as she remembered the encounter from their first year together. The couple giggled before getting shushed by the librarian. "You know, I don't think I would have been able to defeat the boaratusk without your help Ruby," Weiss whispered after a moment.

"Does this mean I finally get my thank you?" Ruby asked as she leaned closer to Weiss.

She hummed for a moment before saying, "Thank you Ruby." She smiled as a kiss was pressed against her cheek and went back to focusing on the video. After they were done with watching it, they cleaned up their area and left the library. "Could you return this to Professor Port for me please," Weiss asked. 

"Sure," Ruby said. She took the recording and began walking to Professor Port's class. Weiss started off to team RWBY's dorm, eager to begin studying the new material. As she got closer to the room, she was too distracted looking over her notes to hear the sounds of breathy moans.

Opening the door, she heard a stream of curses and looked up confused. She froze at the sight of Yang and Blake in bed together, naked. Blushing, Weiss closed her eyes and said, "Ruby is coming from Professor Port's classroom as we speak. I recommended you two wrap this up." Once she finished talking she walked back into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. She heard the sound of covers being thrown to the floor and clothes being put on.

"Hey Weiss!" Ruby said, a flurry of rose petals surrounding them. Her hand reached to open the door and Weiss groaned, knowing the conversation that would occur if Ruby walked in on them. Again. 

Grabbing the collar of Ruby's uniform, Weiss pulled her in for a kiss. Her heart started beating out of her chest as Ruby pushed her against the wall and slid her knee between her legs. Gasping, Weiss cried, "Ruby!" Her voice was hushed as Ruby's mouth covered hers in a passionate kiss she couldn't help but melt into. Weiss felt Ruby tug at the bottom of her uniform, trying to untuck it from her skirt.

The door to their dorm opened and Blake stepped out into the hallway. Weiss pushed Ruby off her, blushing red as a rose. Running her hands over her uniform to try straightening up, Weiss walked past Blake into the room. Yang was straightening out the cover of her bed. She smiled sheepishly at Weiss when she came in, but she was too flustered to notice. Dropping her notes on her desk, she walked into the bathroom and turned on the water to the shower. 

She shivered as the cold water fought the warmth that was pulsing through her whole body. 

As the school year went by, Weiss noticed Ruby becoming increasingly more physical with her. A hand on the small of her back as they stood talking to friends, a hand on her thigh during class, hugs from behind, picking up her to carry her around. While Weiss wasn't opposed to all the touching, she certainly became flustered from it.

One weekend, Blake and Yang had planned to take a trip to Menagerie to visit Blake's parents. Surprisingly, Yang hadn't told Weiss to stay away from Ruby and Weiss thought it might have something to do with how nervous she was to meet her girlfriends parent's.

It was the night Blake and Yang had left and Weiss was alone with Ruby in their dorm. They had started the night off with a simple movie but Weiss couldn't even remember the name of what they were watching. Ruby was currently kissing the side of the neck, biting and sucking on certain spots. Weiss had her eyes shut, leaning her head to the side so Ruby could have more space to do the wonderful things she was doing.

Weiss gave up holding her scroll as Ruby rolled on top of her, kissing her slowly. She wrapped her arms around Ruby's neck, pulling her closer. Ruby's tongue dragged across her lips so Weiss opened her mouth to let her in. Their tongues met and fought for control that Ruby won when she placed her knee between Weiss's legs. "Ruby," she groaned as they pulled apart.

"Weiss," Ruby whispered to her. Weiss shivered at the way Ruby said her name. Her hands traveled up Weiss's exposed legs until they disappeared under her skirt. She tugged at Ruby's uniform, unbuttoning as many as she could as fast as she could. As their clothes came off, Weiss felt her heart pound in her chest, the familiar tingle burning and her whole body warm. Before they could go any further, Ruby asked, "Are you okay? Do you want this?" 

Weiss nodded, kissing her deeply. "Yes Ruby, I want this. I want you." Ruby smiled at her, kissing her again. They spent the night exploring each other's bodies and testing their limits. When she woke up in the morning Weiss noticed her voice and whole body was sore and blushed. Ruby was sleeping next to her and she couldn't get over how beautiful she looked. She smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead as she went to go take a shower.

Weiss found when she tried to stand she just fell over.

The Vytal Festival Tournament was only a month away and Weiss figured she would write to Winter. She told her about her studies and how training was going. She let her know how she was excited for graduation and could not wait to become an actual huntress. 

'Perhaps I will take the time to visit father, mother, and Whitely while in Atlas,' Weiss wrote, although she highly doubted she would. 'Ruby and I would love to go out to dinner with you if you believe you will be free one of the nights of the tournament.' The door opened and Ruby walked in after a training session with Jaune. 

"Hey Weiss," she said, walking over and giving her a kiss on the top of her head. "Whatcha doing?" she asked as she peered over her shoulder. 

"Writing to Winter. I'd figure it would make sense to try talking to her before we show up in Atlas." 

"Smart as always my love." Weiss blushed at the pet name. "Can I write something?" Before Weiss could tell her no, she pulled out her puppy dog eyes. 

Weiss sighed before saying, "Just don't say anything to embarrass me."

Ruby smiled happily and grabbed the pen from Weiss's hand saying, "Don't worry Weiss." 

She frowned at her. "Whenever you say that I tend to worry more." Ruby waved her hand at her before writing a quick few sentences.

'Hi Winter,' what she wrote said. 'It's Ruby, Weiss's girlfriend/best friend/teammate/partner/leader. I can't wait to meet you next month when we're in Atlas. Weiss always says how much she misses you so I hope you'll be able to spend some time together. Weiss is glaring at me now so bye! See you in Atlas!' 

"Really?" Weiss asked her.

"What? You were glaring at me." Ruby handed Weiss back her pen, giving her a second kiss on her head.

Weiss flicked her forehead as she pulled back. "Dolt," she said. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm you Dolt. I'm gonna take a shower real quick." Ruby took off her shirt in front of Weiss, something she began doing to fluster Weiss after their first night together.

"Take your time Ruby," she told her. Once she was in the bathroom and Weiss heard the water running she turned to look at what Ruby wrote and reread it in her head. She smiled at her words and felt her chest tingle and warmth spread over her. 'As Ruby said,' Weiss wrote, 'We'll see you in Atlas. Love Weiss.' 

The Vytal Festival Tournament Ball started in an hour and team RWBY was in high spirits. Yang had won the tournament for them and was out celebrating early with the rest of their friends. Ruby and Weiss had joined her for a while until they left to go to dinner with Winter. 

Much to Weiss's delight and horror, Winter and Ruby really hit it off. Winter was impressed with Ruby's knowledge of weapons and Ruby was fascinated with Winter's experience in the Atlas military. 

"...So the shrunken down nevermores distracted the ship's radar, allowing us to successfully board the ship with detection," Winter shared another story. 

"Wow," Ruby said as she stared at Winter in awe. "That's awesome." Winter laughed politely, but Weiss saw the smile on her face was real. 

"You truly are something special Ruby. Weiss is lucky to have a person as outspoken as you are in her life." Weiss blushed at Winter's words, shoveling steak into her mouth so she wouldn't have to look at either of them. 

Ruby grabbed Weiss's hand regardless of her using it to eat. She smiled at her before turning to Winter and saying, "I like to think I'm the lucky one. Weiss has helped more grow as a person and keeps me focused and responsible for my actions. I don't know what I would do without her in my life." Weiss smiled fondly at Ruby as the tingle in her chest popped up. "I'm just glad she doesn't hate me anymore. All the yelling wasn't fun."

"Hey!" Weiss said, offended. "It wasn't my fault you were such a Dunce."

"Hmm, but now I'm your Dunce," Ruby said as she leaned in and stole a kiss from her. 

Weiss blushed, leaning away from her girlfriend. "Ruby," she hissed, embarrassed. Weiss was even more horrified when Winter started laughing. Trying to be refined and save herself from further embarrassment, she said, "The ball will be starting soon, Ruby and I should be heading to Atlas Academy."

"I would be more than happy to drop you two off. I have a meeting with General Ironwood at the academy. It won't be any trouble." 

Weiss internally groaned as Ruby said, "Thanks Winter!" She smiled politely at her sister. The sisters split the check before getting into Winter's car. They rode in comfortable silence, Weiss leaning against Ruby as they held hands.

They made it to the ball just as it was starting. Weiss and Ruby thanked Winter before they headed inside the academy. They met up with Blake and Yang who had been inside together, already dancing. Ruby and Weiss started dancing together, sharing kisses and smiles throughout the night. Weiss felt warm all over as she looked into Ruby's shining silver eyes.

Graduation came and went and the next thing team RWBY knew was that they were officially huntresses. Yang and Blake had moved to Menagerie to live near her parents and start their base of operations for rebuilding the White Fang. They got married only 2 years after they graduated and were expecting their first child in several months. 

Weiss was currently in Patch with Ruby, visiting Tai and Zwei. She had an easy enough time convincing Ruby to take a week off from missions and spend time in her hometown. Ruby was taking Zwei for a walk with her dad. Weiss took the time she had to visit someone she had yet to meet. 

"Summer," she said. "It's nice to finally meet you. I'm Weiss Schnee, Ruby's girlfriend." She paused contemplating her words. She had gone over her speech nearly 100 times in her head and yet she still didn't know the right words to say. "She was the first person I ever fell in love with and not a day has gone by where I have stopped loving her in the slightest. She has taught me to be a better, kinder person and I don't know if there will ever be a day that goes by where I won't need her by my side. I want to marry Ruby, but I won't feel right unless I have your blessing." 

Weiss stared at the gravestone. 'Summer Rose Thus Kindly, I Scatter', it read. Kneeling besides the headstone, she ran her fingers over the emblem her Rose shared with her mother. Weiss felt a warm wind pick up and looked around her as white rose petals with pink centers fluttered around her. 

"Thank you," Weiss whispered happily. A different type of warmth fell over her and she smiled. Standing up, Weiss started her walk back to the Xiao Long residence. 

Weiss slowly woke as sunlight entered her bedroom window. Turning in her bed, Weiss searched for the warmth that was her wife, but could only find empty sheets. Sitting up, she looked around the room but saw she was alone. 

Getting out of bed, Weiss walked into the hallway and followed the sound of humming that flowed through her home. The sight of Ruby holding their baby girl in her arms, placing quick kisses on her head was enough to make her heart swell. 

Ruby turned to her wife and whispered, "I didn't want to wake you. Summer only woke up a few minutes ago, but she should be knocked out for at least another hour." Weiss walked up to her, placing a kiss on Ruby's cheek before staring down at her daughter. 

Her white hair had a tuff of red where her bangs started to grow in. As Weiss smiled at her little girl, her eyes peeked open, silver shining in the light of the early morning. "Hi my baby," Weiss sang to her. Ruby placed Summer in her arms and she started rocking her, cooing at her little girl's cuteness. 

"Yang said she and Blake were gonna drop by with Li later on today, I hope that's alright." Ruby pulled the blanket out of the crib and Weiss placed Summer inside.

"If that brute scares Summer one more time, I'm kicking her out of my house," Weiss told her.

Ruby giggled, pulling her close to her. "I'll make sure to let her know."

"You better," Weiss said. Ruby kissed her deeply, making Weiss smile. "Dolt," she said, flicking her forehead. Surrounded by the love of her family, Weiss sighed in content. She didn't know love when she first met Ruby, but now, a day doesn't go by where her heart doesn't pound at the things Ruby Rose-Schnee did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't find out the amount that Lien was worth so I based it off American money. Also Li was named after Blake's mom, Kali.


End file.
